You already know how important it is to stay up-to-date on breast screenings and take action if you notice any changes in your breast(s). But did you know there are some things you can do to support breast health tissue every week?
Here are our favourite tried-and-true tips. The first one may surprise you!
Prioritize self-care: Evidence shows taking care of ourselves is essential for our breast health –and overall wellbeing. But research also shows many women feel investing time and money on self-care is a luxury, and not a need. Wellness experts urge us to prioritize self-care, for our sake and the sake of our family and friends.
Include daily and monthly self-care practices in your calendar: This is a great way to help ensure we get to our check-ups, mammograms, exercise classes, etc.
Schedule in a bra fitting too: Even the very best bras wear out, and our breasts change shape and size more often than we realize. Having regular fittings is important for breast tissue and spinal health. You can be sure it’s good for your body, and spirit, to spend “all about you” time in our fitting room.
Get moving: Doctors make the point that no pill delivers all the same benefits as exercise. It’s even been found that exercise during cancer treatment reduces reoccurrence and increases lifespan.
Check in with us -- we know how to help you get active: As Amoena fitters, we’re experts at fitting you with what you need to move safely, confidently, comfortably – from the best breast forms to the best sports bras and tops for your unique needs. We also have breast forms and active wear designed for exercising during treatment.
Swim: Swimming is ideal for breast health as it strengthens chest, back and shoulder muscles. Hate wearing a bathing suit? We have a solution for that with Amoena swimwear for every body shape to give you back your confidence.
Tap into your creative self: Jewellery-making, writing, journaling, quilting, painting, ceramics – hobbies are proven to strengthen overall wellbeing.
A breast wellness note for hobbyists: Let your Amoena fitter know about the activities you do so we can match your breast form and bra to your lifestyle. We support confidence, so you can salsa dance, bend over a table doing mosaics, and get into downward dog position at the yoga studio, carefree.
A bonus tip to make hobbies easy to fit in: Many customers love the adjustable, comfy Amoena Valletta top for letting them go straight from home or work to workshops or the gym, without needing to stop to change. Flatters under a jacket or sweater, and on its own.
Share a Pink Lady or bake a Pink Lady pie: We’re talking apples, of course! For Pink October Breast Cancer Awareness month, consider sharing Pink Lady apples with colleagues, your book club, or anyone else to start the conversation on early detection, taking action, and options post breast-cancer surgery (see our blog, or drop in for a chat). And yes, mom is right -- eating an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but no peeling, please.
All Amoena items are pocketed, and all active wear, swimwear and loungewear also have a built-in shelf bra. If you wear breast forms or balancers, every item assures complete discretion and security.
GET MOVING
Regular exercise—even if it's just walking—may lessen your breast-cancer risk, according to a report published last spring in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Of nearly 3,000 women studied, those who performed moderate exercise such as walking three to five hours per week cut their risk of breast cancer by half.
According to Horner, exercise works by boosting immune function and decreasing the amount of "bad" estrogen the body produces. Bad estrogen causes breast cells to grow and divide at a more rapid speed, she explains. "The faster they divide, the greater the chance that a cancer mutation will occur." If you're not doing it already, start walking for 30 minutes three or four times a week. Then work your way up to heart-pumping aerobic exercise.
Fresh fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals—Horner calls them natural medicines—that perform specific anticancer functions. For example, broccoli, collard greens and other cruciferous veggies are a source of indole-3-carbinol, a phytochemical that inhibits breast-cancer growth. Another promising anticancer food is actually a spice. Turmeric, a potent antioxidant found in curry, helps prevent cell damage that may lead to cancer.
The spice even has its own study at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where researchers are testing it as a chemical-free complement to other cancer-preventing drugs. An easy way to get turmeric into your diet is to add about one third of a teaspoon to food at the end of cooking, or take a 1,000 milligram daily supplement (with your doctor's blessing, of course)